macrumors demi-god

The OEM version is the same hardware as the retail version (that you'd find on the shelves at Best Buy), but it's sold for a lot less.

The OEM version doesn't come in consumer packaging, it doesn't come with instructions, it doesn't come with support from the drive maker, and if it comes with a warranty (not all OEM versions do), it's usually wayyyyyy shorter than the warranty included with the more expensive retail version of the same drive.

macrumors 603

Yeah, but drives are generally third-party and carry their own warranty of 5-7 years. Not sure

Click to expand...

Warranty coverage was transferred to Apple when those drives were sold to Apple. In essence, part of the price that you pay for buying something direct from the manufacturer includes a portion set aside by the company to cover warranty repairs or replacement.

Apple will get a reduced price on purchasing those drives because they are covering miscellaneous warranty replacements - WD won't have to put any portion aside to cover warranty returns. I assume that part of the contract will specify that the failure rate will be below a certain level in the 1st year.

When you bought the TC, Apple set aside a small portion of the price to cover their warranty coverage.

So, there's perhaps a 1 year warranty from Western Digital on the drives. I don't know how old my Time Capsule is since I bought it second hand, but I'm guessing this solution isn't for me as I'd have to take apart the Time Capsule just to look at the serial number.

macrumors 603

No. This is what you get buying 2nd hand. You take the risk of getting faulty goods, but the payoff is that you might have gotten a really good deal on something that works find. Caveat Emptor... or something like that.

thread startermacrumors 6502a

No. This is what you get buying 2nd hand. You take the risk of getting faulty goods, but the payoff is that you might have gotten a really good deal on something that works find. Caveat Emptor... or something like that.

Click to expand...

Um, actually...
The TC is fine, but I wanted to RMA the drive in case there were errors.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.